LOS ANGELES - Today, the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) released the results of the 2022 Countywide Homeless Count, the first official survey of the regions unhoused population since 2020.While Los Angeles as a whole saw marginal increases in homelessness since the 2020 count, the Second District, represented by Councilmember Paul Krekorian, showed a 34 percent reduction in its unsheltered population, more than a third fewer people living on the streets of the district.
The problem we faced was unprecedented, but the actions we have taken are working. We have a long way to go, but the numbers prove that we are moving in the right direction, said Krekorian, who built the first Homeless Services Navigation Center and the first Tiny Homes cabin community in the City. My team is in the district every day, helping the unhoused to move to cleaner, safer accommodations. Last week we moved 14 people from the street to our Tiny Homes in a single day, said Krekorian.
Krekorian attributed the progress in his district to the housing interventions that he has created in the last two years. Since the last count in 2020, Krekorian has built three Tiny Homes cabin communities and two A Bridge Home congregate shelters, in addition to the Homeless Services Navigation Center that helps individuals access housing and services. Councilmember Krekorian also arranged for the citys purchase of a hotel to convert to permanent housing. With six additional projects in construction or development, the district will have more than 500 units of permanent supportive housing by November 2024.
Councilmember Krekorian also authored the revision to Section 41.18 of the Citys Municipal Code, allowing the Council to prohibit encampments in sensitive areas and those that present a particular danger to public safety. After the Council passed the 41.18 revisions, Krekorian was able to marshall the necessary resources to remove the two most notorious and violent sites in the district (the freeway underpasses at Lankershim and at Moorpark), which were cleared without a single arrest or citation.
This years homeless count proves that there are solutions to homelessness that work, Krekorian said. The challenge cannot be solved overnight, but these numbers show that in my district we are pursuing solutions that work and we are seeing real results.